The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the third round of its Clean School Bus Program funding, which is allocating more than USD 6.7 million for the purchase of Autogas buses. For every LPG-powered vehicle purchased as part of this project, the EPA will provide transportation directors with up to USD 30,000.

According to the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), 58 districts have been tentatively selected to receive a total of 269 Autogas buses to replace the nation’s aging, dirty diesel buses. The programme prioritises high-need local educational agencies, rural and tribal school districts.

“School districts see the value Autogas buses can bring to their students, to their community, and to the environment,” said David Walters, Director of Autogas business development for PERC. “With the lowest total cost-of-ownership, reduced emissions, and improved uptime, it’s clear that Autogas buses are an excellent choice. We applaud the districts that have made the decision to prioritise student health and the environment with their new Autogas buses, and we hope others will follow their lead.”

Through three rounds of funding, the EPA initiative has allocated more than USD 2.8 billion for 8,427 electric school buses and 440 low-emission LPG-powered buses. However, for the same amount of money that was distributed for electric buses (about USD 2.77 billion), the programme could have helped fund as many as 92,635 LPG buses, assuming each propane bus received the USD 30,000 incentive, according to PERC.

“The goal of the program is to reduce emissions as quickly as possible to provide our children with a safe, clean, healthy ride to school,” Walters added. “According to the Department of Energy, there are more than 450,000 school buses in the United States, and the vast majority run on diesel. By replacing dirty diesel buses with clean Autogas buses, we can better ensure that more children are riding in a clean school bus.”

Source: PERC

Photo: Unsplash

3 July 2024